KR100431563B1 - Mobile-station adapted for removable user identity modules - Google Patents

Abstract

A mobile station having an integrated user identity module (I-UIM) and a removable user identity module (R-UIM), while adhering to a second generation standard inter- . The I-UIM includes an embedded electronic serial number (I-ESN) and embedded subscriber / subscription information, while the R-UIM includes a removable electronic serial number (R-ESN) and remote subscriber / subscription information. The mobile station will send a pair of I-UIM and embedded subscriber / subscription information or a pair of R-UIM and remote subscriber / subscription information based on the user of the mobile station. An I-ESN that is paired with the embedded subscriber / subscription information and a registry of the R-ESN that is paired with the remote subscriber / subscription information will be maintained by the wireless communication system and / or the authentication center. This register is used to identify and authenticate the pair of I-ESN and embedded subscriber / subscription information and the pair of R-ESN and remote subscriber / subscription information.

Description

[0001] MOBILE-STATION ADAPTED FOR REMOVABLE USER IDENTITY MODULES [0002]

The present invention relates to a wireless communication system, and more particularly to a mobile-station for a third generation wireless communications system.

FIG. 1 illustrates a second generation wireless communications system 10 according to the prior art. The wireless communication system 10 includes a plurality of base stations 12 and a plurality of mobile stations 14. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires that each mobile station 14 be integrated with a unique electronic serial number (ESN), which is the make of the mobile station, Model, creator and / or function, and subscriber / subscription information. The ESN itself can be used for mobile-related issues such as theft detection, feature support identification, and recall management.

Service providers of wireless communication systems have found other uses for ESN. One such use is to validate and authenticate the mobile station 14 and / or the subscriber by combining the ESN with other subscriber / subscription information. Where the other subscriber / subscription information may be stored in a memory such as, for example, mobile-station identifiers (also known as mobile identification numbers (MIN)) and international mobile-station subscription identifiers Subscriber identity and / or service identity. The subscriber / subscription information is unique to each subscriber and is embedded in the mobile station 14. Hereinafter, the subscriber / subscription information built in the mobile station 14 is referred to as " integrated subscriber / subscription information ".

The wireless communication system 10 utilizes a second generation standard intersystem protocol for identifying and authenticating a mobile station. The wireless communication system 10 has an ESN and a registry or database of valid mobile stations and subscribers for users subscribed to the wireless communication system 10. [ For each ESN, it is associated with one mobile station and one subscriber / subscription information within the registry. That is, there is a 1: 1 correspondence between the ESN and the mobile station, and between the ESN and the subscriber / subscription information. Since the subscriber / subscription information built in the mobile station 14 is usually the information of the owner, the subscriber / subscription information registered in the registration unit will also be the information of the owner. In other words, the subscriber / Subscriber / subscription information in the second generation wireless communication system 10. The second generation standard inter-system protocol allows the mobile station 14 to request a service from the wireless communication system 10, such as a register or complete call, And transmits ESN and other built-in subscriber / subscription information built in the mobile station 14 to the base station 12. [ The ESN and embedded subscriber / subscription information may be provided to the mobile station 14 by the wireless communication system 10 (or by the home system if the wireless communication system 10 is not a home system) . If the transferred ESN and embedded subscriber / subscription information match the registration of the ESN and embedded subscriber / subscription information (which must be embedded subscriber / subscription information), the mobile station 14 is identified and authenticated. Once the mobile station 14 is identified and authenticated, the service will be provided to the mobile station 14 by the wireless communication system 10.

In the case of a next generation (i.e. third generation) wireless communication system, a user identity module (UIM), i.e. a logical entity with subscriber / subscription information including MIN and / or IMSI, do. The UIM shall be detachable or removable from the third generation mobile station and shall not be embedded in the third generation mobile station. Such a UIM is referred to as a removable user identity module (R-UIM). The detachable user identity module may be used by a third-generation mobile station that does not belong to itself, by inserting the R-UIM into the mobile station before the subscriber, . Therefore, when the remote subscriber wants to request the service using the third-generation mobile station, the subscriber / subscription information of the R-UIM of the remote subscriber and the ESN built in the mobile station (hereinafter referred to as & Subscriber / subscription information ") is transmitted to the third-generation wireless communication system. However, the service provider requires that the third generation mobile station be able to request the service of the second generation wireless communication system. This is a problem because the second generation wireless communication system uses the second generation standard inter system protocol to identify and authenticate the mobile station. Specifically, since the remote subscriber / subscription information transmitted (along with the ESN embedded in the mobile station) does not match the subscriber / subscription information of the subscription to the sent ESN, in other words, the remote subscriber / There is a problem that the third generation mobile station can not be identified and authenticated by the second generation wireless communication system.

One solution to this problem is to embed the ESN in the R-UIM rather than the mobile station so that the remote subscriber information is immediately associated with a particular ESN. Thus, there is a 1: 1 relationship between the ESN and the mobile station, and between the ESN and the subscriber. However, since the FCC requires the ESN to be embedded in the mobile station and to be used to support mobile station related issues such as unauthorized subscriber detection, e.g., theft detection and support character recognition, the above solution is not appropriate.

Another solution is to use only subscriber / subscription information when authenticating and authenticating the mobile station. This solution is also not appropriate because the service provider has to adhere to the second generation standard inter system protocol for identification and authentication so that the third generation mobile station can be verified and authenticated by the second generation wireless communication system . Also, without ESN, the wireless communication system will not know which characteristics are supported by the mobile station that the remote subscriber is using.

A third solution is that the wireless communication system has a register in which one or more subscribers can be associated with each embedded ESN. However, since in this case the remote subscriber may be limited to using a mobile station with an embedded ESN associated with that remote subscriber / subscription information (i.e., R-UIM), this solution is also not appropriate.

Thus, there is a need for a third generation mobile station with a built-in ESN that can be identified and authenticated by a second generation wireless communication system using remote subscriber / subscription information.

The present invention relates to an integrated user identity module (I-UIM) and a removable user identity module (R-UIM) that adhere to a second generation standard inter- Wherein the I-UIM comprises an embedded electronic serial number (I-ESN) and embedded subscriber / subscription information, wherein the R-UIM comprises a removable electronic serial number (R-ESN) and a detachable subscriber / ESN and a pair of built-in subscriber / subscription information or a pair of R-ESN and remote subscriber / subscription information, depending on the user of the mobile station. ESN and a registration of the R-ESN paired with the remote subscriber / subscription information will be maintained by the wireless communication system and / or the authentication center. The I-ESN and the embedded subscriber / The pair of subscription information, the R-ESN and the remote subscriber / subscription information pair will be identified and authenticated.

In one embodiment, at the absence of the R-UIM, the mobile station will use the I-ESN and embedded subscriber / subscription information for identification and authentication. In the presence of the R-UIM, the mobile station will use the R-ESN and remote subscriber / subscription information for verification and authentication, unless there is no indication or command by the user of the mobile station. In yet another embodiment, the mobile station will always use the I-ESN and / or embedded subscriber / subscription information prior to using the R-ESN and / or remote subscriber / subscription information.

Preferably, the present invention allows a wireless communication system using a second generation standard inter-system protocol to identify and authenticate subscribers using a third-generation mobile station. The present invention also fulfills the FCC requirement to have a built-in ESN to support subscriber-independent mobile station related issues, such as theft detection, support character recognition, and the like.

1 is a diagram illustrating a second generation wireless communication system according to the prior art,

2 shows a mobile station according to the invention,

Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method for identifying and authenticating a mobile station of Figure 2 supporting more than one subscriber;

Figure 4 is a flow chart illustrating a typical scenario in which an embedded subscriber and a remote subscriber invoke a service using the mobile station of Figure 2;

5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relationship between a serving system and a home system of a mobile station,

6 is a table showing a series of actions that can be taken by the mobile station for possible events when the mobile station has and does not have R-UIM;

DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS

10: wireless communication system 12: base station

14, 20: mobile station 24: user identity module

25: Receiving unit 40: Serving system

42: built-in subscriber home system 44: remote subscriber home system

Figure 2 shows a mobile station 20 according to the present invention. The mobile station 20 includes a user identity module (UIM) 24 for a subscriber of a wireless communication system which includes an ESN and other subscriber / And subscription information. These UIMs, ESNs, and other subscriber / subscription information are hereinafter referred to as "embedded user identity module (I-UIM)", "embedded electronic serial number (I-ESN)" and "embedded subscriber / subscription information", respectively. The embedded subscriber identity module includes hardware or any data storage device such as an I-ESN and a computer memory for storing embedded subscriber / subscription information.

The mobile station 20 includes a receptacle 25 that can receive input from a detachable user identity module (R-UIM) 26, and the detachable user identity module includes a unique ESN (R-ESN) ") and subscriber / subscription information about other (or the same) subscriber of the wireless communication system, i.e. remote subscriber / subscription information. The removable user identity module includes hardware or any data storage device such as a R-ESN and a computer memory for storing remote subscriber / subscription information. Alternatively, the R-ESN and remote subscriber / subscription information may be stored in a scannable card, such as a bar code. The receiving unit 25 may be a port such as a parallel or serial port, a scanning device that reads data from an image, or any device that receives input from an R-UIM. It should be understood that the term " subscriber " should be construed to include, but is not limited to, a customer of a wireless communication system and a non-customer of a wireless communication system such as a phone card customer.

The I-ESN and R-ESN are the values used by the wireless communication system to adhere to the second generation standard inter-system protocol for identification and authentication. In particular, both I-ESN and R-ESN conform to the format defined by the second generation standard inter-system protocol. The I-ESN identifies at least the mobile station in which the I-ESN is embedded.

In one embodiment, the I-ESN and R-ESN represent information about the subscriber to which the associated UIM belongs. The I-ESN identifies the mobile station in which it is embedded and also represents the characteristics supported by the mobile station in which it is embedded, while the R-ESN does not identify the mobile station because it is not associated with or embedded in a particular mobile station, I-ESN and R-ESN are different in that they can not directly represent the characteristics supported by the mobile station. The R-ESN only functions as subscriber / subscription information to satisfy identification and authentication requirements in pre-third generation wireless communication systems, but only by a mobile station on the assumption that each mobile station supports a certain minimum feature set It may also indirectly indicate supported properties. The I-ESN functions as subscriber information and also functions as an equipment identifier or a characteristic identifier.

The mobile station 20 is equipped with an ESN and a transmitter for transmitting other subscriber / subscription information of I-UIM and / or R-UIM (provided R-UIM is available). The manner and order in which the ESN and subscriber / subscription information are transmitted may vary depending on various factors such as protocol and preferences of the service provider, producer and / or user.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart 30 illustrating a method for identifying and authenticating a mobile station 20 supporting one or more subscribers. In step 305, the subscriber uses the mobile station 20 to attempt a service request, such as registration, in which case the subscriber is an integrated subscriber or a remote subscriber. At step 310, the mobile station 20 transmits the ESN and other subscriber / subscription information. The mobile station 20 may communicate with the I-ESN and the embedded subscriber / subscription information and / or the R-ESN and the remote subscriber / subscription information, depending on the protocol, the service provider, the manufacturer of the mobile station 20, Lt; / RTI >

In one embodiment, if the R-UIM is not inserted into the mobile station 20, the mobile station 20 transmits the built-in subscriber / subscription information with the I-ESN embedded in the mobile station 20. Otherwise, the mobile station 20 sends an R-ESN and remote subscriber / subscription information, not the I-ESN and the embedded subscriber / subscription information, to the default whenever the R-UIM is inserted into the mobile station 20 send. This default may be invalid, that is, when the R-UIM is inserted by entering the code (or switching the switch) before attempting to make a service call, the mobile station sends an I -ESN and embedded subscriber / subscription information.

In yet another embodiment, the mobile station 20 will only transmit R-ESN and remote subscriber / subscription information only after successful service requests using the I-ESN and built-in subscriber / subscription information. In another embodiment, the I-ESN and the embedded subscriber / subscription information are always transmitted first by the mobile station 20, or the I-ESN and the embedded subscriber / subscription information are transmitted according to the indication of the user or subscriber. 6 shows a chart 600 showing a sequence of actions that can be taken by the mobile station 20 in events that may occur when the mobile station 20 has and does not have an R-UIM.

In one embodiment, the identification and authentication between subscribers are mutually independent. Even if the subscriber associated with the I-UIM is not a valid subscriber, the subscriber associated with the R-UIM will nevertheless be identified and authenticated by the appropriate system, and vice versa.

At step 315 and 320, the serving system receives the ESN and other subscriber / subscription information transmitted by the mobile station 20 and uses subscriber / subscription information such as MIN or IMSI, Determines whether the home system is a home system for a subscriber associated with the received ESN, wherein the home system is a wireless communication system to which the subscriber subscribes for wireless communication services, or a subscriber has paid for the wireless communication service in advance Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > entity. ≪ / RTI > If the serving system is the subscriber's home system, then in step 325, the serving system determines whether to provide the subscriber with the received ESN and subscriber / subscription information by comparing the subscriber / subscription information with the ESN held in the subscriber, That is, the subscriber is confirmed and authenticated. The type of service to be provided to the subscriber depends on the subscription content of the subscriber, the characteristics supported by the mobile station 20 as indicated by the ESN, and the subscription content of the subscriber.

If the ESN and subscriber / subscription information match the ESN and subscriber / subscription information in the subscription of the serving system, then at step 360, the serving system determines, for example, a voice message, call forwarding, and call waiting Such as call originating, call reception, voice messaging, call forwarding, and / or call waiting, within the limits of the services to which the subscriber subscribes, To provide wireless communication services. Otherwise, no wireless communication service will be provided by the serving system.

If the serving system is not the subscriber's home system, then in step 330, the serving system sends a subscriber identification and authentication request to the home system. At step 335, the home system receives the ESN and subscriber / subscription information from the serving system. At step 340, the home system compares the received ESN and subscriber / subscription information with the ESN and subscriber / subscription information registered in the registry. If the received ESN and subscriber / subscription information match the home system register's ESN and subscriber / subscription information, then in step 350 the home system sends a message to the serving system indicating that the subscriber is valid and authenticated. This message may also include information about the characteristics supported by the mobile station 20 and information about the service to which the subscriber subscribes. Upon receiving this message, in steps 325 and 360, the serving system will provide the wireless communication service to the subscriber within the capabilities supported by the mobile station 20 and the service to which the subscriber subscribes.

If the ESN and subscriber / subscription information do not match the ESN and subscriber / subscription information of the registration of the home system, then at step 350 the home system sends a message to the serving system indicating that the subscriber is not valid and not authenticated . Upon receiving this message, the serving system will reject the wireless communication service for the mobile station 20 at steps 325, 355.

4 is a flowchart 400 showing a typical scenario in which a built-in subscriber and a remote subscriber use a mobile station 20 to invoke a service. In this scenario, the serving system is neither a home system for an embedded subscriber nor a home system for a remote subscriber. Referring to Figure 5, the relationship between a serving system and a home system is shown. 4, in step 405, the mobile station 20 is activated and the I-ESN and built-in subscriber / subscription information embedded in the mobile station 20 are transmitted to the serving system 40. [ In step 415, the serving system 40 receives the I-ESN and the embedded subscriber / subscription information, and from the received I-ESN and / or embedded subscriber / subscription information the embedded subscriber is not a member of its subscriber (I.e., the serving system 40 determines that it is not the home system of the embedded subscriber). At step 420, the serving system 40 sends a request, including the received I-ESN and embedded subscriber / subscription information, to the home subsystem of the embedded subscriber (i.e., the embedded subscriber home system 42) Confirm and authenticate the embedded subscriber.

At step 425, the embedded subscriber home system 42 receives the I-ESN and the embedded subscriber / subscription information and determines whether the subscriber associated with the received I-ESN and embedded subscriber / subscription information is a valid subscriber Check the registration. At step 430, the embedded subscriber home system 42 sends a message to the serving system 40 indicating whether the embedded subscriber is a valid subscriber. If the subscriber is a valid subscriber, the message may also indicate the characteristics supported by the mobile station 20 and the service subscribed to be a subscriber. At step 435, the serving system 40 receives the message and provides a wireless communication service to the embedded subscriber according to the message, or refuses to provide the service.

At step 438, the R-UIM is inserted into the mobile station 20 by the remote subscriber. At step 440, the remote subscriber sends his R-ESN and remote subscriber / subscription information to the serving system 40 to attempt a service request. At step 442, the serving system receives the R-ESN and remote subscriber / subscription information and determines from the received R-ESN and / or remote subscriber / subscription information that the remote subscriber is not its subscriber. At step 445, the serving system 40 sends a request containing the received R-ESN and remote subscriber / subscription information to the remote subscriber's home system (i.e., the remote subscriber home system 44) Identify and authenticate remote subscribers.

At step 450, the remote subscriber home system 44 receives the R-ESN and the remote subscriber / subscription information and determines whether the subscriber associated with the received R-ESN and remote subscriber / subscription information is a valid subscriber Check the registration. At step 455, the remote subscriber's home system 42 sends a message to the serving system 40 indicating whether the remote subscriber is a valid subscriber. If the subscriber is a valid subscriber, the message may indicate a subscribed service, such as a minimal set of services, a predefined set of services, or a set of services limited by the characteristics supported by the mobile station 20, for example. In step 460, the serving system 40 receives the message and services or refuses to provide the remote subscriber in accordance with the message.

If the embedded subscriber subsequently attempts to make a service request from the server system 40, the mobile station 20 must transmit the ESN and subscriber / subscription information belonging to the embedded subscriber. To transmit the I-ESN and embedded subscriber / subscription information, the embedded subscriber must first enter the code, remove the R-UIM, or switch the switch before attempting the service request.

For an arrival service, the serving station provides the mobile station with an identification of the subscriber scheduled to be serviced. Upon receipt of the identification, the mobile station may indicate the intended service recipient via a display on the mobile station or a unique tone. For security purposes, the intended recipient must provide a security code or voice test prior to receiving the service.

The invention has been described herein with reference to specific embodiments. Other embodiments are possible. For example, the mobile station may send an I-ESN and / or embedded subscriber / subscription information together while transmitting the R-ESN and / or remote subscriber / subscription information so that the wireless communication system knows which mobile station is being used by the remote subscriber. Lt; / RTI > Accordingly, the invention should not be limited to the embodiments disclosed herein.

Thus, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a third generation mobile station with embedded ESN, which can be verified and authenticated by a second generation wireless communication system using remote subscriber / subscription information.

Claims (14)

A method for authenticating a mobile station, Transmitting an integrated electronic serial number and integrated subscriber / subscription information associated with the embedded electronic serial number; Transmitting the removable electronic serial number and the remote subscriber / subscription information associated with the removable electronic serial number only after transmitting the built-in electronic serial number and the embedded subscriber / subscription information, Wherein the embedded electronic serial number comprises different transmission steps Mobile station authentication method. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the embedded electronic serial number and the embedded subscriber / subscription information are transmitted when the mobile station is activated Mobile station authentication method. The method according to claim 1, When the subscriber instructs the mobile station to transmit the embedded electronic serial number and the embedded subscriber / subscription information in place of the removable electronic serial number and the remote subscriber / subscription information, the embedded electronic serial number and the embedded subscriber / Is transmitted Mobile station authentication method. A method for authenticating a mobile station, Transmitting an embedded electronic serial number and embedded subscriber / subscription information associated with the embedded electronic serial number; Sending a detachable electronic serial number and remote subscriber / subscription information associated with the detachable electronic serial number when the mobile station receives an input from the detachable user identity module, Wherein the embedded electronic serial number and the embedded subscriber / subscription information are transmitted simultaneously with the removable electronic serial number and when the remote subscriber / subscription information is transmitted Mobile station authentication method. An embedded user identity module having a first electronic serial number and first subscriber / subscription information associated with the first electronic serial number; A receiver for receiving an input from a detachable user identity module having a second electronic serial number and second subscriber / subscription information associated with the second electronic serial number; Means for transmitting the second electronic serial number and the second subscriber / subscription information only after transmitting the first electronic serial number and the first subscriber / / RTI > 6. The method of claim 5, And transmits the first electronic serial number and the first subscriber / subscription information when the receiving unit receives the input from the removable user identity module, and transmits the second electronic serial number and the second subscriber / Comprising a transmitter Mobile station. 6. The method of claim 5, Wherein the embedded user identity module comprises a data storage device in which the first electronic serial number and the first subscriber / subscription information are stored Mobile station. 6. The method of claim 5, The data storage device may be a computer memory Mobile station. 6. The method of claim 5, Wherein the receiver is a port for receiving data from the removable user identity module Mobile station. 6. The method of claim 5, The receiving unit may be a scanning device that reads data from an image Mobile station. 6. The method of claim 5, Further comprising the removable user identity module Mobile station. 6. The method of claim 5, And means for transmitting the first electronic serial number and the first subscriber / subscription information when the mobile station is activated Mobile station. 6. The method of claim 5, The first electronic serial number and the first subscriber / subscription information are instructed to transmit the first electronic serial number and the first subscriber / subscription information instead of the second electronic serial number and the second subscriber / subscription information, Further comprising means for transmitting information Mobile station. An embedded user identity module having a first electronic serial number and first subscriber / subscription information associated with the first electronic serial number; A receiver for receiving an input from a detachable user identity module having a second electronic serial number and second subscriber / subscription information associated with the second electronic serial number; And means for simultaneously transmitting the first electronic serial number and the first subscriber / subscription information when the second electronic serial number and the second subscriber / subscription information are transmitted Mobile station.